I’m about to pull the trigger on a fairly ambitious project — a new short film, produced under the auspices of the Socal Film Group. It’s been a while since my last short, DUST DEVIL, and this one will be considerably more demanding and, if things go well, a much more impressive piece of filmmaking.

It’s a sci-fi thriller set in the aftermath of an alien invasion that has decimated the population, a nod to sci-fi films like Omega Man, War of the Worlds and the like.

On a budget of zero.

Okay, not literally zero, but virtually zero. We’ll be renting an HD camera and there will be some basic costs that you just can’t avoid. I also need to pick up a computer with some serious balls and some FX software, but that stuff isn’t a direct production expense, since I can use them for many other applications. But everything else — lighting, grip, crew, talent, locations — will be borrowed, bartered or stolen.

The real trick to this project will be the effects. There will be many. Lots of CGI and lots of really challenging compositing. On a budget of zero.

(If there are any CG artists out there interested in donating their talents in exchange for material for their reel, don’t be shy. Click my name at the bottom of this post and email me.)

Barring unforeseen circumstances, production is going to happen toward the end of July. Postproduction will take considerably longer. I intend to document the entire process right here, in gory detail. So, wish me luck and watch this space.